Published April 5th, 2010
Zen student, novelist and poet, John High, will be reading from his new book of poems, The Book of Unknowing, at Brooklyn Zen Center on Friday, April 23rd, at 7:00pm. Books will be available for sale and signing at the event.
If you will be coming to the event, please RSVP by clicking here. Thank you.
About the author:
Founding editor of Five Fingers Review, John High is the author of nine books, including his award-winning (Village Voice Literary Supplement top 25 books of the year) trilogy of poetic novels, The Desire Notebooks, The Lives of Thomas, The Sasha Poems, Bloodline: Selected Writings, a book-length poem Here, and his recently published novel, Talking God’s Radio Show.
John is one of his generation’s foremost translators of contemporary Russian poetry. The principal editor of Crossing Centuries: The New Generation in Russian Poetry, he is known for his translations of Nina Iskrenko, Ivan Zhdanov, and Alexei Parschikov, among others.
He has received four Fulbrights, two NEAs, and writing awards from the Witter Bynner Foundation, Arts International, and the Academy of American Poets, among others. He has taught Creative Writing at San Francisco State University, Moscow State University, Montclair University, and currently teaches Creative Writing and literature at Long Island University. John currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.
Criticism for The Book of Unknowing:
“Imagine a novel whose setting is dark and indeterminate, whose nameless characters are shadowy, and whose circular plot unfolds timelessly—and you will be imagining John High’s A Book of Unknow- ing. These powerful poems, whose language rushes past in a torrent of disorienting yet evocative images and sounds, will pull you out of this world and into another, that matters a great deal more, where all that you think you know becomes doubtful.” ——Norman Fischer
“John High’s poems, threaded together by narratives of childhood that span a century, are always immediate, grounded, and as fleeting as the moment. Throughout, High’s ear stays close to the heart. The music is visible.” —Matvei Yankelevich
Category: Arts, BZC Sangha News, Books, NYC Buddhist News, Upcoming Events | Tags: | Comments Off
Published March 29th, 2010
If you are interested, please find linked here at Flickr a series of photos from the Buddhist forum taken by Jesse Jiryu Davis.
Those of us from Brooklyn Zen Center who participated were discussing how happy we were to have been able to meet and work with those from other sanghas in the city. Many exciting and fruitful conversations and relationships were begun that we are very much looking forward to continuing.
We want to thank the Buddhist Council for organizing this year’s Buddhist Forum on Sustainable Sangha and the environment and allowing Brooklyn Zen Center to host it. We look forward to deepening our relationship with those members of other New York sanghas that we were so fortunate to meet. May we all grow together in the dharma.
Category: BZC Sangha News, NYC Buddhist News | Tags: | Comments Off
Published March 7th, 2010

Zen Buddhist priest and senior dharma teacher, Tenshin Reb Anderson, will be visiting from San Francisco Zen Center’s Green Gulch Farm to lead a four day sesshin at Brooklyn Zen Center. The retreat will be from Thursday, May 27th through Sunday, May 30th.
The focus of the four days will be the compassionate care of karmic consciousness. Karmic consciousness and great awakening are not separate. This retreat will offer a way to see how careful and compassionate care for the delusions of our karmic consciousness is a path to understanding the wondrous nature and dynamics of practice-enlightenment. All are encouraged to take part in the entire retreat.
If you are interested in taking part in this event, we will need your RSVP and retreat payment by April 23rd. Please notify us by clicking here to use our online email form. The event will fill up quickly so please let us know as soon as possible and send all checks to the following address: Brooklyn Zen Center, 505 Carroll Street, Suite 2A, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
If you would like a PDF of the retreat flyer, please download it here.
About the teacher
Reb Anderson, Tenshin Roshi is a lineage-holder in the Soto Zen tradition. Born in Mississipi, he grew up in Minnesota and left advanced study in mathematics and Western psychology to come to San Francisco Zen Center in 1967. He practiced with Suzuki Roshi, who ordained him as a priest in 1970 and gave him the name Tenshin Zenki (“Naturally Real, The Whole Works”). He received dharma transmission in 1983 and served as abbot of San Francisco Zen Center’s three training centers (City Center, Green Gulch Farm and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center) from 1986 to 1995. Tenshin Roshi continues to teach at Zen Center, living with his family at Green Gulch Farm. He is author of Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains: Dharma Talks on Zen Meditation and Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts.
Category: BZC Sangha News, Upcoming Events | Tags: | Comments Off
Published March 2nd, 2010
We at the Brooklyn Zen Center would like to thank San Francisco Zen Center and Green Gulch Farm for the long term loan of our beautiful new temple bell. Our former service bell was a bit small for our new space at 505 Carroll and SFZC was very generous in sending us this much larger bell once used at Green Gulch Farm.
Also we would like to thank Austin Zen Center for sending us their former densho bell. Our sangha has never had a densho bell and we are very much looking forward to hanging it in the community space soon! It really could not be better suited.
Both bells sound just beautiful and are a perfect fit for the new center. A deep bow to our very generous sister sanghas!
Category: BZC Sangha News | Tags: | Comments Off
Published February 24th, 2010
We are pleased and honored to announce that Brooklyn Zen Center will be hosting the Buddhist Council of New York’s 2010 Buddhist Forum on Saturday, March 20th, from 10am to 4pm. The theme this year is “What is Sustainable Sangha? — Buddhist Perspectives on Environmental and Economic Longevity.”
The day includes two parts. The first is a morning presentation by Colin Beavan regarding his family’s year-long experiment in New York City to live with, as he states, “as little impact on the environment as possible.” His presentation will include excerpts from a recent film about this project, called “No Impact Man.”
The afternoon program will be an opportunity to engage in inclusive dialogue based on a format called “Open Space Technology (OST).” Three presenters or presenter teams representing different Buddhist traditions will speak briefly (10-20 minutes) on how their center engages the Forum’s theme. These presentations will be followed by three simultaneous sharing circle groups (20 minutes), whose focus is framed utilizing the OST structure.
Please join us for this exciting day of dialogue. If you would like further information, please download the invitation letter from Buddhist Council President, Sunghae Sunim, here. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on the 20th.
Category: BZC Sangha News | Tags: | Comments Off
Published February 24th, 2010
Join us Monday evening, March 15th, from 7:45–9:00pm, as Zen priest, senior dharma teacher and poet, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, will be giving a dharma talk at Brooklyn Zen Center. The topic of the talk will be Psalms/Koans.
Please join Norman for the following events as well. On Tuesday, March 16th at 7:00pm, he will be giving a talk on “The Lyric” with Rae Armantrout at Poet’s House in Battery Park. On Wednesday March 17th at 7:30pm, he will be giving a poetry reading with Rae at St. Mark’s Church on St. Mark’s Place in Manhattan.
Norman has spent almost 30 years at San Francisco Zen Center, having held many senior positions, including director and co-abbot from 1995-2000. Norman currently heads the Everyday Zen Foundation and offers teaching to many sanghas across the country. Among his numerous publications, Norman has written nine volumes of poetry as well as Opening to You: A Zen-inspired Translation of the Psalms and Taking our Places: The Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up, which is based on his work mentoring young people.
This event is cosponsored with the Jewish Meditation Center of Brooklyn.
Category: BZC Sangha News | Tags: | Comments Off
Published February 24th, 2010
April 2-4, 2010, Brad Warner will be leading a three-day retreat at Brooklyn Zen Center. The retreat will include a daily schedule of zazen, dharma talks and interviews. The purpose of this zazen retreat is to draw together practitioners for three days of deepening their understanding of the dharma.
Brad Warner is a dharma heir of Gudo Wafu Nishijima and the author of the books Hardcore Zen, Sit Down and Shut Up, and Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. When not teaching and practicing Zen or writing, Brad plays bass for hardcore punk band Zero Defex and works for a Japanese film and TV production company specializing in movies about giant monsters.
For details, cost, and to register for the retreat, please download the event flyer by clicking here. You can also email retreat coordinator, Jacopo Buora, for more information at jacopo dot buora at gmail dot com or call at 347-237-1702.
Category: BZC Sangha News, NYC Buddhist News, Upcoming Events | Tags: | Comments Off
Published February 24th, 2010
We want to thank everyone who participated in Brooklyn Zen Center’s first three-week intensive. We went through a lot in these last three weeks – our move to our new space, last minute construction and clean up, an opening ceremony, the intensive schedule and a sesshin. Without all of us, we could have never pulled off so much in so little time. The effort and flexibility of our practice community continues to be deeply inspiring.
Also, a very special thanks goes out to our guiding teacher, Teah Strozer, for traveling across the country from San Francisco to support us in so many ways these past few weeks. A deep bow.
May our practice and the dharma flourish for many years to come in our new home.
Category: BZC Sangha News | Tags: | Comments Off
Published February 6th, 2010
Brooklyn Zen Center has now completely moved to its new space at 505 Carroll Street today and formally opened our Boundless Mind Temple at the new location. Many expressed amazement, joy, gratitude and exhaustion after an incredible effort to bring this new place of practice into the world. Seeing us all together today sitting, chanting, bowing and enjoying food, music, art and one another was moving for many. Another deep bow to our loving, hard-working and supportive sangha (seen here enjoying music) for a job incredibly well done. Your effort is truly inspiring. May our practice flourish and our hearts together open wide to the world. Beautiful everybody! We did it!
Category: Arts, BZC Sangha News, Just for Fun, Music, NYC Buddhist News | Tags: | Comments Off
Published January 11th, 2010
Brooklyn Zen Center is pleased to announce that we will be having our first formal practice period for three weeks this February in our new, beautiful zendo! Our guiding teacher, Teah Strozer, is coming to visit Brooklyn Zen Center to lead a period of intensified practice. During this time, Brooklyn Zen Center will offer additional practice opportunities, including extra periods of zazen, classes, dharma talks, a daily study period, opportunities for individual practice discussions with the teacher and a five day session. The practice period will focus on the teachings of Suzuki Roshi as presented in the text, “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” . People are encouraged to read the text before the practice period begins.
Practice periods are designed to encourage and support us to deepen our practice. Teah is inviting everyone who is interested “to join together to investigate the truth of our being“. There will be a meeting and opening ceremony at the beginning of the intensive as well as a shosan (formal question-and-answer) ceremony with Teah at the end. Everyone joining the practice period is encoraged to have practice discussion once a week with Teah.
A note from Teah about commitment:
Please decide what you can realistically do. It is better to commit to less but do it all than commit to too much and drop out. You should think of what is comfortable for you and sign up for just a tad more that will stretch you enough. So know yourself, be honest, then turn up your effort with some strictness and also some kindness. Make a balanced effort that will encourage you to keep your intention in front of you the whole three weeks.
Framing your commitment to the practice according to the three treasures, Teah has suggested the following ideas:
Buddha: a committment to zazen
Choose one or more of these options:
1. Defined commitment to sitting at home three times more than you do now
2. Defined commitment to sitting at the center three times more than you do now
3. Center based practice – all morning or evening sittings during the week
Dharma – an entrance into the teachings
Choose one or more…
1. Coming to “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” dharma talks and discussion
2. Coming to study periods
3. Coming to mindfulness class
4. Reading with your own friends in a study group
Sangha- accountability within community
Choose one or more…
1. Volunteering to support the practice by taking on a doan job, working in the kitchen or volunteering in some other capacity at BZC
2. Meeting with the teacher individually or in small groups
3. Training in forms
Other intentions to consider include:
1. I will practice mindfulness of my body for three weeks
2. I will practice mindfulness of my breathe for three weeks
3. I will practice with the question, “Who am I?”
4. I will pick one of the precepts and try to go deeper and deeper with it for three weeks
5. I will do loving-kindness meditation for three weeks
6. If you can’t think of somehing that is at the edge of your inquiry you could speak with TeahWe will be offering a form to put your commitment in writing which can help to clarify and support your intention which you can give to the Ino.
Brooklyn Zen Center is offering all of these practice opportunities on a donation (dana) basis (except sesshin). Teah has taken an unpaid month off of her job in San Francisco to lead this practice period and it is our hope that the sangha will be very generous in giving dana to Teah for her month long service to our community.
A more detailed schedule for the practice period will follow shortly.
Category: BZC Sangha News | Tags: | Comments Off